Pro tip: I stopped plating with tweezers after 12 years, and a $4 squeeze bottle at a diner in Boise is what did it

Nancy Bailey · 2026-09-29T15:00:05.854957+00:00

I always figured tweezers were just part of being a real chef, so I kept dropping micro herbs one leaf at a time while my ticket times crept up. Then a cook at a greasy spoon in Boise squirted sauce in three quick zigzags and served a plate that looked better than half my fine dining stuff, and it hit me that I was chasing fussy instead of fast. What's the one fancy habit you gave up once you saw a diner line cook do it better in 20 seconds?

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Pro tip: I stopped plating with tweezers after 12 years, and a $4 squeeze bottle at a diner in Boise is what did it | Chefs - SMM Buzz